Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [291]
Long-Distance Buses
Eurolines (Map; 01 43 54 11 99; www.eurolines.fr, in French; 55 rue St-Jacques, 5e; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Sat; Cluny-La Sorbonne), an association of more than 30 national and private bus companies that links Paris with points all over Western and Central Europe, Scandinavia and Morocco, can organise ticket reservations and sales. The Gare Routière Internationale de Paris-Galliéni (Map; 08 92 89 90 91; 28 av du Général de Gaulle; Gallieni), the city’s international bus terminal, is in the inner suburb of Bagnolet.
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CAR & MOTORCYCLE
The quickest way of turning your stay in Paris into an uninterrupted series of hassles is to drive. If driving the car doesn’t destroy your holiday sense of spontaneity, parking the thing certainly will.
Driving
While driving in Paris is nerve-wracking, it’s not impossible – except for the faint-hearted or indecisive. The fastest way to get across the city is usually via the blvd Périphérique (Map), the ring road that encircles the city.
Hire
You can get a small car (eg a Renault Twingo or Opel Corsa) for one day for no more than €100, including unlimited mileage and insurance. Most of the larger companies have offices throughout Paris and at airports and main train stations, including Gare de Nord (Map; Gare de Nord). Several are represented at Aérogare des Invalides (Map; Invalides) in the 7e.
Avis ( 08 02 05 05 05; www.avis.fr, in French)
Budget ( 08 25 00 35 64; www.budget.fr, in French)
Europcar ( 08 25 35 83 58; www.europcar.fr, in French)
Hertz ( 08 25 88 92 65; www.hertz.fr)
National Citer ( 08 25 16 12 12; www.citer.fr)
Sixt ( 08 20 00 74 98; www.sixt.fr, in French)
Smaller agencies often offer more-reasonable rates and have several branches throughout Paris. Find a complete list in the Yellow Pages (www.pagesjaunes.fr, in French) under ‘Location d’Automobiles: Tourisme et Utilitaires’.
ADA ( 08 25 16 91 69; www.ada.fr, in French) ADA has a dozen branches in Paris including 8e arrondissement (Map; 01 42 93 65 13; 72 rue de Rome, 8e; Rome) and 11e arrondissement (Map; 01 48 06 58 13; 34 av de la République, 11e; Parmentier).
easyCar (www.easycar.com) This budget agency has cars at competitive prices from branches at main train stations including Montparnasse (Map; Parking Gaîté, 33 rue du Commandant René Mouchotte, 15e; Gaîté). Branches are in underground car parks and are fully automated systems; book in advance and fill in the forms online.
Rent A Car Système ( 08 91 70 02 00; www.rentacar.fr, in French) Rent A Car has 16 outlets in Paris, including Bercy (Map; 01 43 45 98 99; 79 rue de Bercy, 12e; Bercy) and 16e arrondissement (Map; 01 42 88 40 04; 84 av de Versailles, 16e; Mirabeau).
If you’ve got the urge to look like you’ve just stepped into (or out of) a black-and-white French film from the 1950s, a motor scooter will fit the bill perfectly.
Free Scoot (Map; 01 44 93 04 03; www.free-scoot.com, in French; 144 blvd Voltaire, 11e; 9am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon-Fri; Voltaire) Rents 50cc scooters per day/24 hours/weekend/week from €30/35/75/145, and 125cc scooters for €45/55/110/245. Prices include third-party insurance as well as two helmets, locks, raingear and gloves. To rent a 50/125cc scooter you must be at least 21/23 and leave a credit card deposit of €1300/1600. Freescoot runs a seasonal branch in the 5e arrondissement (Map; 01 44 07 06 72; 63 quai de la Tournelle, 5e; 9am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon-Sat mid-Apr–mid-Sep; Maubert Mutualité).
Parking
In most parts of Paris, street parking costs €1 to €3 an hour and is limited to a maximum of two hours. Municipal public car parks, of which there are 140 in Paris, charge between €1.70 and €2.80 an hour or €20 to €25 per 24 hours. Most open 24 hours.
Parking attendants dispense fines ranging from